possible new uhl teams?

[Captain Crash]

What success has Johnstown found in the NAHL? Their attendance has dropped each year and they will probably avg. less that 2,000 this season. The teams which they beat up in years past are now way better that they are. The owner won't spend money for a decent coach and goes on the cheap side. The people want a winner and looks like that won't happen anytime soon. I have been to a few games when back in town - BORING! A lot of the Jets/Chiefs fans won't waste their time going to see low junior hockey. I wish they would go to the SPHL, but that will never happen.

"Blah blah blah I personally don't like it therefore it must be a failing franchise blah blah blah"

The Tomahawks attendance has been on par with or higher than most of Johnstown's years in ECHL. You have to go all the way back to 94-95 for the ECHL Chiefs to even crack 3,000. But sure, because the attendance is basically the exact same as it was for decades in AA pro obviously this means junior has been a catastrophic failure.

Johnstown's attendance in their glory years of the ECHL wouldn't even cut it in today's SPHL. Junior is the only business model that works for Johnstown. And it does work. Deal with it.

 

[Captain Crash]

By the way, you're wrong about the dropping every year thing. It went up 14-15 to 15-16.

ECHL all time attendance average in Johnstown: 2,686
NAHL all time attendance average in Johnstown: 2,397

Wow! What a massive drop! A loss of 289 fans. Meanwhile, the population of Johnstown itself declined by 1,222 in the time since the Chiefs relocated.

 

[Clinton Comets EHL]

Ok, so new UHL or fixing FHL, either way, it is the same thing.

Low-A, break into 2 or 3 divisions to contain travel cost:

West
Port Huron
Danville
Chatham, ON
having trouble on ideas here - Lexington, Louisville, Huntington, Findlay, Lima

North
Cornwall
Watertown
Elimra
Utica
Jamestown
Danbury
Fredricton, NB


South
Trenton
Atlantic City
Winston-Salem
Florence
Salisbury
Richmond
Johnstown - I know everyone here says no.... but maybe

Utica? Seriously?

 

[rallyrabbit]

Yeah Utica was a pretty silly suggestion.

Huntington still has an ice plant, though i’ve Heard they just don’t want to deal with permanent ice.

It looks like the small arena in Lima closed. Had no ide Findlay closed theirs too.

Anyway, basically a new UHL or FHL should focus on areas where the SPHL could succeed but hasn’t for various reasons (Winston-Salem, Richmond, Florence), ex-ECHL or Ex-UHL markets where fans have shown up in numbers that work. Or new markets that should be able to support. And still have ice plants (killing Augusta and Asheville). Or markets that want better than low junior hockey.

Winston-Salem, Richmond, Florence, Columbus, Trenton, Atlantic City, Port Huron, Danville, Danbury, Salisbury fit that. The question is, who else does and can Cornwall and Watertown fit with them if it did happen.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

W/S has Carolina Thunderbirds

 

[royals119]

I think everyone is assuming the new UHL would involve any current FHL teams who are able to continue.